How to make beads out of animal bone
Hairpipe Beads
Bone beads were used mainly for necklaces and chest pieces. The chest pieces look like a breastplate made of many horizontally strung, long bone beads called hairpipe beads. These are usually made of bird bones because they are small and hollow, but can also be made of deer and cow bones.
•1
Lay the cutting board on a sturdy surface with the leather mat on top. Saw the shin bones into 2 inch lengths with the coping saw.
•2
Hold a piece of bone upright on the leather mat and cut about a quarter of an inch of bone away around the center hole.
•3
File the bone until it roughly resembles a thin, round tube. Scrape away any sharp edges with the etching knife.
•4
Sand with the 80 grit sandpaper, followed by the 120, 150, and 200 until the bead is highly polished.
•5
Repeat steps 1 to 4 until all of the bone pieces have been made into beads.
Read more: How to Create Native American Beads by Hand | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_5433881_create-native-american-beads-hand.html#ixzz1BLBdklYp
Bone beads were used mainly for necklaces and chest pieces. The chest pieces look like a breastplate made of many horizontally strung, long bone beads called hairpipe beads. These are usually made of bird bones because they are small and hollow, but can also be made of deer and cow bones.
•1
Lay the cutting board on a sturdy surface with the leather mat on top. Saw the shin bones into 2 inch lengths with the coping saw.
•2
Hold a piece of bone upright on the leather mat and cut about a quarter of an inch of bone away around the center hole.
•3
File the bone until it roughly resembles a thin, round tube. Scrape away any sharp edges with the etching knife.
•4
Sand with the 80 grit sandpaper, followed by the 120, 150, and 200 until the bead is highly polished.
•5
Repeat steps 1 to 4 until all of the bone pieces have been made into beads.
Read more: How to Create Native American Beads by Hand | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_5433881_create-native-american-beads-hand.html#ixzz1BLBdklYp